The Girl a Million Knew

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 61, 18 April 1914, Page 4

The Girl a Million Knew

(By HEEBEET SHAW, author of "The House of Many Secrets," etc.) [Copyright.]

CHAPTER XXXIV. (continued). ALAN HOLIDAY GETS TO WORK. The look on his face was ludicrous, but it was pathetic also. Old Rogers, turning sharply at the boy's words, recognised this w.ell. The door-keeper had a rough tongue, but he had a kind heart and he was impressed by the youngster 's seriousness. "I guess I know what these things are," Dunn went on, in a quavering and rapid explanation. ''These are the bally designs for the frocks what the Olympic Theatre stole from us. Now you know why they were missing from Mr Holiday's rflat" They were never there, because I forgot to take 'em — and Mr Holiday must have forgotten that he gave them to me to take down." "You're meeting trouble half-way, young shaver," said Rogers. . And, regardless of the boy J s startled cry at such audacity, he deliberately opened the package. After a minute he looked; at the anxious youngster. <' Afraid you 're right, though. That's just what they ,are." The old man considered a moment. Then,he said, in a way half ashamed: — '' Hanged if I can see you 'd do much good by stirring it up now. It's all over and done with. What? I won't tell o}i ycu." For he liked Nipper Dunn. But that young gentleman shook his head with decision. i "It ain't over. Didn't Miss Christine get the sack from the theatre be-/ cause some-skunk or other put it into the Governor's head that .-, she had pinched 'em? I know who did it, too 1 know who got her chucked out. Leila Mayne and her crowd. Oh, I ain't blind, an' I goes about with my ears open. I'll be in the cart over this, sure. Eat if I say nothing I'll put Miss Christine in the cart for keeps — an' I'd do anything in the world for her. "It was a crime that they should edge her out of the theatre, when she could knock spots off a dozen Leila Mavncs, an' that's flat. The Governor put the bar up against her over this business. But she never stole those' sketches —she never had a chance to copv 'em —for all the time they was in your rabbit-hutch there. Ain't I right? " The doorkeeper rubbed his head once more. "Perhaps she could come back to ! the theatre when I puts 'em wise about this here." The boy jerked his hand towards the package, which the_ old man had now carefully retied. "If she does she'll be the real star of the Pharos jet. But Nipper Dunn gets the order of the boot, an' goes out into the street." He paused and then added, fiercely: "Bootblack, lift-boy, or any old thing. I wouldn't look at another theatre job | after the Pharos —it's the only theatre in London." Then Nipper Dunn did a tiling of which he v/ould never have believed himself capable. He began to cry. Hard put to it to express his sympathy, the old man watched him uneasily. "Here, hold hard!" he protested. "If you keep it to yourself I'll lie low and won't say a word about it. I've told you that. What more can I do?" "D'ye mean it?" Nipper Dunn looked at hiro*

''Sure I do. An' who's to know about it then'?"

The boy stopped crying. His precocious little mind was full of thoughts that seemed to be running round and round. If he had to leave the theatre it would/be awful. In secret he nursed ' a dream of going on the Pharos stage. | And, of course, he would get the sack i for such negligence as had been his. j It was the biggest temptation he had j ever had iu his life. i Suddenly his white face took on a [fierce resolution. No, he couldn't do it. It wasn't playing the game. Miss Christine was a jolly good spoa't —and hadn't she been an especial pal of his? He must own up like a man. Nipper Dunn stretched out his hand I for the dreadful packet. I "Well, what is it to be?" i "I'm going to take them things to J Mr Holiday, this very moment, before |I change my mind." I "Right-o" exclaimed the old man, j approvingly, with a plain relief in his j voice. Against his sense of right he had offered to shield the Nipper in his j trouble. '' An' you 're doing the right j thing, me lad; you can go nap on that.'' Without any answer, Nipper Dunn marched off with a determined step. ■ i | When the boy embarked on lus conl fession, remembrance of the. incident came slowly into Holiday's mind. But, as Nipper Dunn proceeded, he soon recalled things perfectly well. He had lyimself been going home with j the sketches, but when near the stage ! door a messenger from George Carjdinal's room upstairs had recalled him. He had immediately handed the prec- ! eious packet to the Nipper, with in- ! structions to take a taxi with them to ! his Hat. I The work for which he had been rej called had been much more difficult of I settlement than had at first seemed likely. Indeed, he had not got through | with it till late in the afternoon. His I absorption in it had driven the incident 'altogether from his- memory —till today. j Heedless of his pale-faced informant, 'he sat back in his chair, tracing idle ! circles on the blotting-pad before him. ; Would this be sufficient to clear Chris--1 tine of the charge that had disgraced her? Hardly, he reflected, as his mind ! went back over all the circumstances. : Then the tremulous voice of Nipper i Dunn recalled him from his thoughts: ) "Do I get the sack over it, Mr Holi;day?" ! The thin voice Avas quite startling, ; for he had. forgotten the call-boy's prc- ; i sence in the room. Ami there was a 1 ; world of anxiety and appeal in the 1 ; question. 1 "Eh, what's that? Do you what, cock-sparrow?'' Lost in the thoughts the discovery ■ | had inspired, Alan Holiday did not fully 1 grasp the enquiry. In a voice that ; faltered still more the boy repented it. Alan Holiday looked at him keenly. [Himself a boy" at heart, still look told | him, as plainly as actual words, all the | fears of the'call-boy of the Pharos. , | And, as if compelled by those keen grey i eyes, the lad began to blurt out the , i temptation he had resisted, the tempta- ■ ' ti-on to say nothing of the find Rogers ! | had made. ' | "Well, why didn't you?" rapped out L j Holiday, now curious. I "Because it was Miss Eden in it,"

returned the Nipper, defiantly. "Dashed if I'd mind getting the sack, I reckon, if she .got back to the theatre. Are you going to give me the sack, Mr Holiday?" "I think not," answered Holiday, in a voice suspiciously hoarse. "You run away and play, Nipper. We all make mistakes sometimes.''

The Nipper needed no second order. He jumped to the door, crying: "You're a good 'un, you are." The happiest urchin in London at this moment, it would not be correct to say that he ran down the stairs to convey the good news to his friend, the doorkeeper. He positively twinkled, so that, his short legs were indistinguishable in the process of getting from the top to the bottom. It was like an acrobatic trick, and Hugo Slade, grunting as he laboriously climbed upward, stood aside and held his breath as the apparition flashed by him. Alan Holiday was examining the recovered sketches. Suddenly an exclamation came from him. With a feverish eagerness lie again examined the sketches, more closely this time. Then his hand went out to the house telephone to communicate with the Governor. But he did not take off the receiver. "I'll make sure first," he muttered. He was clapping on his hat when Hugo appeared at the door. "Hugo, stay here 20 minutes, like a good chap. If the Governor wants me, .tell him I've been called out on something urgent. Twenty minutes —half an hour at most. So long.'' Then, though only half as quickly as the Nipper's progress had been, he, too, was careering madly down the stairs. It was less than half an hour before he stood in the presence of George Cardinal. I ' Anything special?'' Then Cardinal smiled. "I needn't ask that. You look as though you had been running a Marathon half across London." '' 1 have,'' returned the.other. '' You remember those sketches that were missing—the first set—the set I had?" "I've cause to, I guess," said Cardinal, grimly. "Well, they're found. Here they are." "You want still to make me believe that Christine Eden had nothing to do with stealing the ideas on them." "You've got to believe she had nothing to do with it, for I can prove it. First, here are the sketches that were found this morning—they've been in Rogers's cubby-hole all the time. Look at them." George Cardinal obeyed. "No,notes on them —at least, none of importance. That's the point. Now look at this other set, which I've just got from Mary Baird, of Francesca's, the makers of the dresses. It's the second set which has all those notes in the margins—and that note for the setting of the third act which you yourself scribbled. Have you got what I mean? It's from the second set that all the ideas were stolen, because all the stuff in the notes was made use of by the thief, whoever it was. It couldn't have been from the first set. You understand?" "Perfectly." Cardinal was now as excited as the other. "Do you mean the second set was in the possession of Francesca's? " "That's it. Miss Eden'could have had nothing whatever-to do with it." '' I see that. But she admitted it.'' "She did not," answered the youngman, quickly. "She didn't deny it. There 7 s a world of difference. She may have wanted to shield somebody.'' "Then Francesea's are the thieves." "I'd trust Mary Baird with anything on earth," said Holiday. "It isn't she. But you didn't know that a woman called Florence Kent had become her partner, did you'2"

"What's that to do with it? Who j is Florence Kent?" i "She's Leila Mayne's step-mother,' ; Holiday returned. "It's not generally known, but I've been making enquiries, I can tell you, since you finished with Miss Eden and sent her packing from the theatre. It looked black against her, I admit, just then; but I would have staked my life she was innocent all the time. Now, you've o-ot to be certain of it, too, Governor. I tell you, Leila had hatred of the girl as a snake has poison. I could tell you some of her reasons, but that's no odds just now. It doesn't matter." "It might matter—for Miss Leila," said Cardinal sternly. "I'll get to the bottom of the whole plot before I'm through. But what does, matter now is that it's up to you to do what you can to recompense. Miss Eden.' '* Then George Cardinal smiled at Holiday as the latter had smiled at Nipper Dunn, not an hour before. '' I fancy I 've asked you the question before, but are you in love Avith Miss Eden?" "I am that," snapped the young man, grimly. "But that doesn't matter either, for she's not in love with me. I ask you the question again. What are you going to do?" "She comes back as understudy, of course.'' "That's a beginning," said Holiday. A daring idea came to him, and a smile lit his face. "Look here. Will you give me permission to do what I like to handle the thing my own way, so long as it's not against the interests of the Pharos?" After a slight hesitation Cardinal nodded. "Certainly," said he. "I'll trust you.'' Before he took up his pen again the younger man was out of the room. He had not proceeded far before he was joined by Hugo Slade, to whom he eagerly explained what had happened. "Great news!" was Slade's comment. "And what's the next move?" "It's the biggest scheme," rejoined Alan Holiday. "The very biggest —if it comes off. Come with me and you'll know. I've the Governor's permission to act as I like, though he little knows what I've got in my mind, and it's all or nothing." But in the taxi Hugo Slade became a conspirator also, for he learnt from Holiday what the Governor did not know, and he received the information with a mighty roar of applause. And in ten minutes they were knocking at Dick Tempest's flat, and Dick himself opened the door. For a man whose engagement to a brilliant musical comedy idol had been announced, he presented a surprisingly dejected appearance. (Continued on Monday.)